The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Season 5 Episode 5 “The Pirate Queen” Recap & Review

The Pirate Queen

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5 Episode 5 opens in 1987, with Midge visiting Joel in jail. He berates her for continuing to visit him, but she insists he doesn’t need to keep looking out for her. That’s what got him here in the first place.

In 1961, Joel and Archie scope out a Catholic school in hopes of expanding their club. Meanwhile, Susie’s popularity as a manager skyrockets. One of her clients, James Howard, waits on hearing whether he got an important role in a movie. Susie harasses the offices in charge of casting, eventually going after the producer, David, at a bathhouse.

Susan fights for James to get the part, but insults the movie’s script in the process. Dina doesn’t think she did James any favors, but all there is to do now is wait. 

George is upset with Gordon that he doesn’t want to accommodate their sponsor, Diddy Doo Diaper Cream. As Midge uses the diaper cream for her kids, she volunteers to take Gordon’s place at an event the product’s representatives are throwing on a cruise.

Zelda gets married to Janusz at the Weissmans’ house, where everyone is happy for her until they realize she’s not going to be working for them anymore. Afterwards, Joel brings up Frank and Nicky’s sketchy behavior at the musical production to Midge. Midge insists he doesn’t need to worry about them, but Joel doesn’t care for her to be mixed up with them. They have a heated argument that ends with them kissing.

At the cruise, Midge charms all the Diddy Doo reps with her standup set. But when she witnesses one of the reps harassing the waitress, she angers him by stepping in and dropping his coat overboard.

Midge calls Susie after being arrested by the coast guard and escorted off the boat. They meet with several people at Gordon’s office to discuss the charges against Midge. The charges include aggravated assault, disorderly conduct–and because the boat was on a stretch of international water, France could have to weigh in. Since his wallet went overboard as well, she technically committed an act of piracy.

Luckily, Gordon finds the situation hilarious. Instead of firing Midge, he tells his staff to get the charges dropped.

Finally, Susie gets a call from David, but she decides to play it cool and call him back. Later, word gets around about how Susie Myerson got an unknown comic cast in one of David Weston’s pictures. Her popularity, and the rumors about her methods, grow.

Gordon later corners Midge after seeing her set. He offers to buy her dinner, so Midge takes him to her favorite diner. She insists this isn’t a date, but Gordon continues to badger her.

Midge tells him what would happen if they started seeing each other. People would find out. And while it wouldn’t affect him, it would taint her career. She would always be known as “Gordon’s girl,” and all the work she’s done wouldn’t mean anything. But the biggest reason she won’t sleep with him is that she’ll never know if she got on his show because she truly deserved it.

The Episode Review

Midge’s announcement of “Officer Peluso, everybody!” as the officer once escorted her off a stage is so ingrained in my mind that it was so fun to hear her say his name again in this episode–just a fun cameo all around.

But I found the meat of this episode to be Susie’s great accomplishment and her rise in demand as a manager. This show may be mainly about Midge’s success, but her upward climb in the realm of show business has always gone hand in hand with Susie’s. It’s interesting and refreshing that this episode separates Susie’s success from Midge, showing that Susie will do whatever it takes not only for her best friend, but also for all her other clients–and for her own career. 

It’s sad we won’t get to see Joel, who has experienced so much growth over the course of the show, take the same path. We now know he ends up in prison, that he’s overprotective of Midge where Frank and Nicky are concerned. Not exactly a recipe for success…